Clúid Housing brings international youth homelessness experts to Dublin 

Experts in youth housing from Scotland, Finland and Spain gathered on 27 September for housing charity Clúid’s annual Simon Brooke Lecture, to share international best practice and inspire the Irish response to rising youth homelessness.

Perspectives from Canada, Australia and New Zealand were also shared via video at the event at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin.

A central theme of the event was the importance of partnerships in delivering youth housing. Scottish-based Almond Housing Association discussed how they partnered with Rock Trust, a charity providing support and services to young people experiencing homelessness, to run and evaluate a Housing First for Youth pilot programme.

Provivienda, a housing provider, and Hogar Sí, a charity providing treatment and support services for people experiencing street homelessness, discussed the implementation of a specially adapted Housing First programme for young people in Spain as part of the HF4Y Futuro project.

Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to people experiencing homelessness, with other supportive services, such as mental health support or addiction support, provided afterward.

These speakers, along with contributions via video from organisations in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, highlighted how collaboration between housing providers and support providers can lead to positive outcomes for young service users.

A lively Q&A session followed these presentations with attendees asking interesting and thought-provoking questions, ranging from specific services for young people with additional needs, to the provision of educational and digital-skills support.

Those who attended were inspired and energized hearing about the amazing work being done to end youth homelessness both at home and abroad.

This year’s Simon Brooke Lecture helped advance Clúid’s wider investigation into the possibility of providing age-friendly housing for young people.

The commitment to investigate youth housing provision comes from Clúid’s current Corporate Strategy, Securing the Future 2023-2025.

As one of Ireland’s leading AHBs, Clúid has been a driver of innovation with our Cost Rental projects and our provision of age-friendly housing through Clann.

Brian O’Gorman, Chief Executive Officer, Clúid Housing, said:

“It is important that we continue to adapt and change as housing needs evolve.

“Clúid recognises the huge impact insecure housing has on the life chances of young people in particular.

“Our vision is a society where everyone has a great place to live, and our current research into youth housing represents an ongoing dedication to achieving this vision through service improvement and organisational development.”

Simon Brooke was a longstanding advocate of social and affordable housing in Ireland.

His passion for the sector and for the provision of high-quality, affordable, secure homes for individuals and families across the country was reflected in his work over many decades.

Up until his untimely death in November 2019, Simon worked tirelessly to break the stigmas attached to social housing and to ensure that everyone in Ireland had a great place to live.

Simon first supported Clúid as a board member and later became Clúid’s Head of Policy.

In his various roles, Simon was a passionate supporter of the exchange of international best practice and policy in housing.

It is on this basis that the inaugural Simon Brooke Lecture was established three years ago, celebrating Simon and acting as a springboard for housing policy discussions.

The first lecture, which was held online in 2021, focused on learning from international housing policy.

Last year’s event in 2022, focused on the intersection between domestic violence and housing in Ireland.